Carla wrote of the tonic she is using:
>to have a beneficial effect (such as the licorice root and elder flowers)
 
Please, note that before giving licorice root it is important to be sure
that a ferret may not have heart disease or be taking a medicine such as
Lasix/Furosemide.  This can have a very negative effect on those with such
problems, and if the quantities are too large for an individual can have
bad results even without a pre-existing problem.  (BTW, a good text such as
_Tyler's Honest Herbal_ by Varro Tyler and Steven Foster, Haworth Herbal
Press is something which can allow people check ingredients in relation to
a particular ferret and potential dangers and benefits in general.
This text actually has fine reviews from both herbalists and medical
school/pharmacy school profs , and it includes lists of references for each
subject.) The section on licorice begins with a quote from _Don Quixote_
"Can we ever have too much of a good thing?" and the problems associated
with too much aldosterone or dioxycorticosterone are discussed: headache,
lethargy, sodium and water retention, excessive excretion of potassium,
high blood pressure, or even heart failure or cardiac arrest.  The section
ends with the answer the question: "Yes!"
 
It pays to always check on things like side effects or contraindications;
hey, that's why traditional meds from pharmacies include inserts!
Periodically, people have mentioned things like new investigations of a
particular medication (traditional or alternative) in the FML or references
to check into; these can be an important resource if used with a grain of
salt and with a check into the references (which should then be then
weighed).  It's one of the ways that the FML search function can help you
and your furry.  It may be that you opt for traditional meds, or herbal, or
both but always know the risks as well as the benefits and use your vet's
help to weigh them should that aid you, even if it means bringing in
reliable references and waiting for a call back on your vet's take about
what was written -- realizing that this isn't studied by most vets so the
best you'll get is a clue on how the more technical aspects in a good and
balanced reference might reflect on your ferret's needs.  (Don't expect
free labor, though.  For some reason people who would never work for free
think that vets should do so.)
 
---
 
BTW: an important thing to know.  Blood tests don't diagnose lympho.  There
was time when some vets were once flirting with that notion, but only a
biopsy is going to tell for sure since a systemic infection can look pretty
well the same as lympho in a blood test, no matter who works with the
sample.  If there isn't a biopsy don't accept that it is definitely lympho.
[Posted in FML issue 2787]